Born in St. Louis and raised in Chicago, John is the sixth of nine children. He
dabbled in drama during high school, but didn't become serious about
acting until enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University, where he
majored in theater arts.
He left the university in his junior year after he attended a
performance of
David Mamet's "The American Buffalo" at the St. Nicholas
Theater in Chicago. Inspired by the play, he enrolled in the theater's
two-year theatrical training program in order to concentrate solely on
acting. While visiting a friend in New York City, Pankow auditioned
for, and won, a role in a PBS film entitled
Life on the Mississippi (1980). He went on to
perform in several off-Broadway productions including "Scheherazade,"
"Aristocrats," "Italian American Reconciliation," "Hunting Scenes,"
"Ice Cream/Hot Fudge" and the New York Shakespeare Festival's "Two
Gentlemen of Verona" and "Henry VIII." He subsequently made it to
Broadway with "Serious Money," "The Iceman Cometh," and as Mozart in
"Amadeus," one of his most notable roles to date. In recent years he
has reprised the role of 'Stefano' in the runaway hit production of
Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in Central Park.
Pankow has several motion pictures to his credit, including
A Stranger Among Us (1992),
Mortal Thoughts (1991),
Talk Radio (1988),
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), and
The Secret of My Success (1987).
On the television side, Pankow has guest starred on such series as
Law & Order (1990),
Spenser: For Hire (1985), and
Miami Vice (1984). After several guest spots in the first
season of
Mad About You (1992), he was signed as a cast regular.
Pankow is currently involved in developing projects for himself in the
theater both as an actor and director. In his spare time, he enjoys
cooking for his wife and their daughter.
Lucifer(2016)as Jimmy Barnes
Before/During/After(2020)as Jim Lonergan
Mad About You(1992)as Ira Buchman
Married Young(2019)as Dr. Levovitz
Madam Secretary(2014)as Glenn, NASA Administrator Glenn
An Experiment in Fear: The Making of Monkey Shines(2014)as Self
Counterfeit World: Making 'to Live and Die in L.A.'(2003)as Self
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno(1992)as Self - Guest
Metro Cafe(1994)as Self - Actor
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness(2007)as Geoffrey Fisher
Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer(1998)as Self
